Too Cold for You Here
by RuthWriter
Summary: April tries to tell Jackson about the baby. Things go in true Grey's Anatomy fashion. T for some suggestiveness. Post 12x11-12x13 I suppose. No exact timeline.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I can already feel the backlash that might come from this piece. Yes, it's probably out of character for Jackson. No, I'm not trying to make him out to be the bad guy in this. Inspiration merely struck.**

 **Japril will rise! I have to believe it.**

 **Disclaimed. All blame and evil curses should fall directly onto murderous Shonda Rhimes.**

* * *

"April, just leave me alone!" Jackson Avery's voice echoed through the ER, and more than a few people turned to stare at the ex-couple. April's cheeks flushed, but she continued through, ignoring the questioning looks. "Please, Jackson, I just need to talk to you for a second."

"Is it professional?"

"Well, no, not exactly, but-"

"There are not buts. It's over April. Let it go. I'm tired of talking."

He turned and stalked away from the red-head, who looked down at the floor frustrated. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and glanced back at Arizona Robbins, who gave her a sad smile.

* * *

"Alright team, this is the only stop we're going to make, so if you have to go to the bathroom or get a snack, do it now. Avery, will you pump gas?" Bailey hopped out of the bus as Jackson nodded. Several of the Grey-Sloan attendings were headed to a medical conference in California. Arizona had stayed behind, o April spent most of her time with Riggs, occasionally speaking with Alex. The latter was the only one on the trip that knew about her certain...predicament. Arizona had encouraged her to try to tell Jackson before they got back from the conference, and so far all of her attempts had been unsuccessful. She watched as everyone else walked into the gas station, and figured she had a chance. She shyly stepped out of the bus, and approached Jackson.

"Hi."

Jackson turned slightly and turned his lips up in a peace offering. "Hey. I'm sorry about yesterday. It had been a long day."

April shrugged. "Oh, I understand. We all have those."

They both laughed uncomfortably.

"I, um, actually do need to talk to you about something."

Jackson tensed and nodded. "Okay..."

"Okay, well, see, the thing is...well, the day that we...signed the papers, I asked if you were sure, and I really just wanted to let you know that-"

Jackson groaned, interrupting her.

"What?"

"Are you going to tell me that you love me? Or that we should try again?"

April's eyes widened. "No, I-"

"No you weren't going to say that, or no you don't still love me?"

"No, I mean, what I was trying to say is-" April stuttered, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Look April, I'm just tired of all the talk. We talked, it didn't work. We got a divorce. We can try to be friends, but at this moment you're really annoying me and I'm starting to think that can't happen either."

"Can I just tell you that-"

"No! Shut up! I can't listen to anymore of this-"

He took a step towards April, who took a step back. Her heel collapsed and she fell into towards the pavement behind her. It was at that moment that the car slammed into her body and she twisted over the top of the hood, landing on the other side.

* * *

Everything moved in slow motion. He heard a loud piercing noise in his ears, and the sound of her body hitting the pavement sounded in the background. He lunged forward as fast as he could as the car sped off, finally revealing her motionless figure to him. In the time that it took him to reach her side, he could already see Riggs running out the door.

"April! April!" His own screams were what finally broke the fog of his brain, as Riggs felt for a pulse and examined her.

"I've got a pulse!"

Jackson wasn't sure when Alex and Meredith had arrived by his side, but everything moving in slow motion except the steady rise and fall of April's chest. Suddenly an ambulance was there, and they were lifting her on to a stretcher. He hadn't said a word since he stopped screaming her name, and suddenly he was aware of Alex giving them her information.

"Any pre-existing medical conditions we should be aware of?"

"She's eleven weeks pregnant."

Jackson's eyes widened as her leapt forward.

"What did you say?!" His hands grabbed at Alex's shirt, who stepped back and shoved him off. "Pregnant?!"

Alex merely nodded, looking torn between sympathy for Jackson and annoyance for the situation that he left April in.

"And who are you sir?" One of the paramedics asked, scrawling on a clipboard.

"I'm her husband!" Jackson exclaimed, searching for her pale figure in the back of the rig.

"Ex-husband." He heard Alex mutter, and he glared in his direction.

"I'm the father of the baby. And I'm her emergency contact."

"Actually, she has three emergency contact numbers listed in her phone, and you don't seem to be one of them." A paramedic piped up.

"What?" Jackson asked incredulously.

"She has an Arizona Robbins, an Alex Karev, and one Nathan Riggs."

Jackson opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the words to voice his feelings.

"I'm Alex Karev. He's with me." Alex nodded towards Jackson, pulling him by the arm towards the ambulance.

* * *

 **A/N: Possibly a two or three-shot? If there's interest?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, I've been a bit caught up in the drama of the show. At least Jackson finally knows, but that's not how I imagined it going at all. Ah well, it was very Grey's if you know what I mean. Also, I had forgotten just how much I love April and Owen's friendship, so I incorporated more of that into this chapter. Alright, so without further ado, here is the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the masterpiece that is Grey's Anatomy.**

* * *

 _This is my fault._ Jackson knows for sure it's true. There's no way to spin it, no way to deflect the blame. He was the one who wouldn't listen to his wife- the mother of his child, or rather _children_ , he was the one who shouted at her, he was the one who scared her, and he was the one who caused her to fall into the path of the vehicle. As his guilt for this incident piled on, he began to see his entire situation in a new light. Perhaps, he wasn't completely blameless in the unraveling of his marriage.

"Avery!"

He winced as he heard Owen Hunt's voice boom through the waiting room. He turned to see the trauma surgeon headed straight towards him, accompanied by one Arizona Robbins. "How is she?"

Jackson ran a hand across his face nervously. "I-I don't know. They won't tell me anything. They only give information to Alex, and he went to go get some coffee. No one has come out to update him yet." The words sounded so strange as the came out of his mouth. Never would he have imagined that he'd have to go through Alex Karev to get an update on his pregnant wife.

 _Ex-wife._ His brain taunted him, and he couldn't help but curse his own thoughts.

He heard Arizona mutter something about going to find Alex, and nodded. He saw Owen take a seat somewhere from his peripheral vision, noticing that it was next to Riggs. He didn't keep up on much hospital gossip now that April was no longer living with him, but he remembered they had a bit of a...difference of opinion. But as he glanced over, all he saw was the two men speaking in hushed tones. Riggs seemed to be filling Hunt in on what exactly happened a few hours prior. The waiting room was fairly empty save the three doctors. The town was a small one, and there were only a few more people waiting to hear about their loved ones.

Obviously, the trip to the conference was abandoned. Callie and Bailey had headed back home. Since Arizona and Owen had come down, the hospital was going to be a bit understaffed, and as soon as word spread about April, there was sure to be a mess. Meredith had stayed behind with Alex, and Maggie had gone back with the Chief and the ortho attending, since Riggs was staying behind. Grey-Sloan was left without a Trauma attending, but Bailey had reassured Owen that they would get along just fine.

Jackson realized just how many people were here for April, and smiled softly. He remembered their early resident days when no one really liked her, and Reed was her only friend. Even he hadn't really thought much of her, and he couldn't help but feel warm at how far they'd come. Then he remembered just how much things had changed, and his empty ring finger ached.

* * *

 _The early morning light trickled through the hotel window. Clothes were strewn around the room, and the couple lay happily in bed, talking to each other under the white sheets."Say it again." April giggled, bumping noses with Jackson. Jackson smirked, bringing her hand up to his lips. He placed a gentle kiss on her palm and whispered, "You're my wife." April smiled broadly, rolling closer to him on the bed. "And you're my husband."_

* * *

Jackson wished for simpler times before April left and before they signed those stupid papers. He wished for white sheets and leftovers and swimsuits instead of underwear. He wished for dancing with her and his friends, for the days before they knew their baby would die. He wished for happy nursery decorations and nights coming home to his wife. But all he was left with was a waiting room filled with people who knew more about what was going on in April's life than he did. He missed the days when it was their life, and not just hers.

"Family of April Kepner?" Jackson whirled around, facing the doctor. He heard Arizona and Alex come forward, and wondered when they had come back from the cafeteria. "Yes?" Arizona asked, gripping Jackson's hand. He looked over at her, but her worried gaze never met his.

"She's out of surgery, and stable for now. She's pretty banged up, and her arm's broken. She has a concussion, but other than that, her head seems to be fine. We're going to be keeping a close eye on her stats overnight, but April seems to be doing okay."

A sigh of relief went around the room, but Jackson still felt tension through his whole body. "And the baby?"

"The baby seems to be fine as well. It really is a remarkable situation, especially after taking the hit that she did. If the car had been going much faster, she likely be dead. It really is a miracle that she is as fine as she is now." Jackson nodded, relief rushing through his body, and the doctor left.

"She's a fighter." Owen stated, exchanging a look with Riggs. Meredith patted Alex on the shoulder, as he gave Arizona a hug. And there, among all the hope and happiness for April, Jackson couldn't help but feel like an outsider.

* * *

 _Jackson pulled his new wife closer into his body wrapping the sheets around them. "Promise me that you'll love me forever, and that we'll be happy and we'll always be there for each other." April smiled up at him, nuzzling farther into his embrace. "I promise. I've got you, and you've got me, and that's all we need."_

* * *

 **A/N: Feeling angsty yet? Let me know what you thought of this chapter in a review!**


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